Why it works: Milk and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Yeast Bread
six loavesIngredients
Directions
Make the sponge
At noon soak the yeast in the warm water fifteen minutes, then stir in flour sufficient to make a stiff batter.
Set it in a warm place (not too warm) until very light.
Mix and knead
In the evening scald the milk and add it, with the water, salt, sugar and flour, enough to knead.
Knead it half an hour, then rub the top of the dough with butter or lard, to prevent its drying.
In the morning knead another half hour, divide into six loaves, and when sufficiently light bake one hour in a hot oven.
Finish
When taken from the oven, wet the tops of the loaves with sweet milk or butter to soften the crust.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Yeast
- Ferments the dough, producing gas that makes the loaves rise and become light.
- Flour (in the method)
- Forms the gluten network that gives the bread its structure and chew.
- Milk
- Adds richness and softness, and its sugars help the crust brown.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning to the crust.
- Butter or lard (in the method)
- Coats the dough surface to keep it from drying and adds tenderness.
The step that matters
Setting the sponge to rise. The yeast must be given a warm place that is not too hot. Heat that is too high kills yeast, while cool slows fermentation, so the dough may not become light enough.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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